episode_0104

Gumilmil is quietly looking at me.

So-oh hugs me from behind and gives me a stern look at Gumilmil.

I sat in between and brought up the topic I thought she’d most want to know about.

“Mr. Gumilmil. If you want him to go back to his original form, give up. It can’t be done.”

At my words, Gumilmil frowned.

“Why? If I give it to you, why can’t I just take it back?”

Of course, that might work?

I’ve never actually taken it back so I don’t know what will happen.

But I have no intention of taking it.

How did I make it into a harvester?

But if I explain this straight up, I’ll get stabbed.

So, I will just explain the facts and shift the blame to others.

“This is a contract. Mr. Gumilmil. Under what circumstances did he sign the contract with me? If he hadn’t signed the contract then, have you ever imagined what would have happened?”

When I say this, Gumilmil becomes lost in thought.

Then he realizes something, and his expression slowly hardens.

that’s right.

The day Oh Myeong-seong signed the contract.

In Aksa Valley, the two were killed by the leader of the five swordsmen group, Yoo Jo-young.

In particular, Gumilmil was in great danger, and Oh Myeongseong was badly injured while trying to save her.

With their defeat obvious, Oh Myeong-seong made a contract with me to survive.

He was speaking to the power within him, clutching at straws as he lay dying, but it was enough for me to make contact.

So, in an instant, he healed all the wounds and killed the man named Yoo Jo-young. However, after he survived there, Oh Myeong-seong became the leader’s killer.

In order to somehow change the situation, he went to a place where there were a lot of monks, but he was branded as a madhu at the entrance and had to go on a long escape.

Then, what if Oh Myeong-seong hadn’t signed the contract?

It’s very likely that both of them died in Aksa Valley. If she’s lucky, Gumilmil might have survived, but she knows that it’ll be difficult.

“The choice was yours.”

Soodo signed a contract to live, and Cheonma is the same.

It’s just a result of the contract. All lights that have fallen to the bottom of the water are like that.

When you can’t do anything with your own strength, when your body can’t move anymore, when the only thing left is to die.

But I make a contract with someone who doesn’t want to die.

People who simply accept death and give up surprisingly don’t despair enough to come to where I am.

People have the will, but when they reach the point where they can’t go any higher no matter what they do, they fall to the bottom of despair.

“So it can never go back to the way it was?”

“Yes. It’s not even clear whether it can be done in the first place.”

I don’t know about myself either. I don’t even know why I get stronger when I’m pushed in the first place. I have a vague idea, but it hasn’t been clearly revealed yet.

“Do you want to go back? Do you want to go back to before you signed the contract and pretend it never happened?”

I was afraid that if I stabbed them too hard, the hostility would become too high, so I emphasized the moment they chose.

Then Gumilmil becomes silent.

She knows it too.

Hehehe.

“Those who know already know, but I can’t push someone who pushed me once again. It means that it’s impossible to contract again in a situation where I’ve been hurt so badly.”

At that time, just die quietly and let go of your warmth.

It’s better not to say things like that.

Gumilmil pointed to the cow next to him.

“So that kid also made a contract with you?”

“I was on the verge of death.”

At that time, Cheonma was an enemy, and I didn’t know what would happen if he found out that I had met you. If he found out that I had removed the bug from my body, there was a high chance that I would be killed.

So, in order to erase that trace, I made a hasty contract. And because of that experience, there is a high possibility that Cheonma became a harvester.

At least I saw the wounds heal with my own eyes.

I never thought it would turn out to be a girl.

“At that time, there, I made a contract with Cheonma.”

ah.

At that time, you must have seen Cheonma resurrect and kill Guseongyong.

“Yes. It was Heavenly Demon who called me to this world.”

“What is this world calling you?”

Gumilmil asks with a puzzled expression, and Soodo looks up at me with a questioning expression from next to him.

Cheonma didn’t go that far.

Oh, yeah.

Here’s a way to avoid having too many doubts about your own strength.

“I guess there was still a contract left with Eunjae. Originally, I was the cold sea that was quietly stagnant down there.”

It is very likely that Gumilmil knows Eunjae’s name. However, this person has never been to Eunjae’s residence where Guseongyong and Cheonma entered.

At least as far as Guseong Yong and Cheonma know.

The power that existed in the past, even though it has not been verified, gives the illusion that it is okay. That is why past conventions do not easily disappear.

Because we’ve been doing it since long ago, we trust it blindly.

Since I don’t know the truth, I only trust what I see as past facts.

“What the… … !”

It’s surprising. And I can tell from the look on his face that he understands it. Even though nothing has actually been revealed.

“Musindo had the same hair color as you. Did he become a Musindo because he made a contract with you?”

Oh, this is definitely a must.

I shook my head from side to side.

“No. He got to the position of a god simply because he did well. Even if I gave myself to him, most people would die from swinging their power and being hit by a greater power.”

So even if I send you my memories, I can’t build a foundation for you to call me.

There are some who act wisely, but they soon become satisfied with their situation and live their lives.

But since I pushed myself into the harvester instead of exploding, I’ve seen hundreds of people do it.

Few people die satisfied that they have lived a happy life.

It is rare for someone to die of old age.

For some reason, they are murdered in the middle of their lives.

So I know I was right. If you give me your power without asking for anything in return, it will go to ruin without me having to say anything.

There are similar words in faded memories, as well as in rare writings left by intellectuals of the world.

Absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Yes, great power ultimately leads to great evil.

Of course, not everyone is like that.

The most extreme counterexample I know of is Tisha.

He turned it around and died a proper old man.

There are exceptions, of course, but they’re like defective products.

And even that defective product gave me a lot of warmth, because sometimes there are enemies that you can’t stop unless you die.

People are creatures who live more emotionally than rationally, and no matter how righteous and good the person is, there are many people who hate those who kill people within their own boundaries.

Even though it was obvious to anyone that the person died deserved to die, he died anyway.

From a mechanical point of view, it is not rational or reasonable.

“I only give myself. Everything I get after that is his.”

So, this is a precautionary measure to tell people not to call me bad.

“First. So, what do you get?”

You pointed out the good points of Gumilmil.

Yes, having a contract means that you are exchanging something important with each other.

Because there is a benefit.

“The last. We make a contract to take everything we’ve accomplished up until then after we die.”

In reality, all you get is warmth. That’s how I wrote the contract.

Then people came up with the concept of a god of death.

I used it.

Even the harvest season has come, as everyone is eating well.

Wow, I was so happy back then.

I thought the world was going my way.

But who would have thought that a glass bottle wouldn’t be able to withstand that and would break?

“That’s terrible. You want to take everything I’ve achieved so far? That means the rest of my life after signing the contract with you is all yours.”

That’s true.

Since then, I’ve been watching you all the time.

“So did I do something wrong?”

I did nothing wrong. I want warmth, and they need the power to change reality. It’s a fair trade.

It is true that it is a fraudulent contract, though.

At least in countries where human rights are enshrined in the constitution.

But not here.

“Or are you going to say that it is wrong to hope for the power to overcome the immediate danger even if it means mortgaging the future?”

Who benefited from it?

I also added a subtle criticism. Then, she will understand. This is a question of accusation, asking if she is applying a double standard after getting everything she deserves.

A normal person would shamelessly walk out of here.

You’ll criticize me, saying that it’s not what I wanted. I am me, and you are you.

But unfortunately, good people have a hard time doing that. So when the final result is confirmed, they end up getting much bigger benefits than those who act selfishly.

That’s just not visible, is it?

It is impossible for a fool to even calculate it.

“What do you do at the end?”

And the wise man asks again, to know what he does not know.

“When you die, you take the warmth that a person has with you. That’s all.”

Since it’s connected anyway, there’s really no need to go look for it.

I know the contract will be passed on to my child, but I don’t intend to say anything about it.

I told you the truth, but I never said I told you the whole truth, did I?

I know, because I’m not smart enough to remember everything and plan out the board.

If you force it in, it’s bound to break somewhere.

Rules are powerful when followed.

Gumilmil stares at me intently.

“In the end, all I found out was that the contract was irreversible.”

At that moment, Soo-oh gently pulls on my clothes. When I lock eyes with him to find out something, Soo-oh asks hesitantly.

“Then, does Cho-seol want to go back to where Cho-seol was?”

“No.”

Oh, this one came to me surprisingly quickly.

“There’s nothing there. I’d rather be here.”

I said that while patting Soo’s back. I think I said it too early. But if I said it when he was a little more rebellious, I think he would have been deeply hurt.

I told you when we weren’t close yet because I thought it would be too shocking if I told you too late.

We might have become a little closer.

Enough to proudly call them family.

Oh my.

This is also my mistake.

I turned my gaze back to Gumilmil. It’s not polite to change the subject while talking to someone.

Gumilmil looked at me and Soo and smiled strangely.

“Yeah, I think I know about you guys.”

Gumilmil got up from her seat, saying it would be rude to stay too long. As I was seeing her off, something suddenly occurred to me and I spoke impromptu.

“Gumimilmise.”

“Why is that?”

“I want to get rid of the bugs inside the people of the Cheonmasingyo.”

It is difficult for a person who is not free to cause a big incident. If that happens, the warmth will decrease.

“Me too. But let’s talk about that a little more slowly. Night is coming, isn’t it?“

A hint of goodwill is conveyed in the tone of speech.

I know you hate bugs inside your body because you carry around a pill to get rid of them in your bosom. It’s been a year, but I still remember her saying she hated bugs back then.

I adjusted what could be called favorability in my faded memories.

I said goodbye to Gumilmil, who was walking away, and then approached Soo.

“Let’s eat dinner now.”

“Yeah.”

I headed to the kitchen with Soo-oh, who nodded obediently.

And so again. The day goes by.